Sprinkler-nozzle.



R. M. HUNTER.

SPRINKLER NQZZLE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1910.

1,028,940, Patented June 11,1912.

COLUMBlA PLANOGRAPH C0.,wAsHlNu1ON, D-C.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPRINKLER-NOZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Application filed August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,150.

5 Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Sprinkler- Nozzles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to fire extinguishing sprinkler nozzles, and consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

Heretofore it has been customary in certain fire extinguishing systems to employ sprinkler nozzles which automatically open and permit the discharge of water in the form of spray in case of an increase in temperature adjacent to the nozzle due to fire, the said system being largely employed in warehouses and stores. In the nozzles heretofore in use, there has been considerable unreliability in their action and consequent danger of loss to the owner or lessee of the building owing to the fact that where the nozzles have remained in sealed condition for a great period of time, the lever mechanism employed for holding the valve closed 7 becomes set and unresponsive when the fusible metal of the retaining link has been fused sufliciently to partly release the valve sufficiently to permit water to escape, and which, because of the sluggish action of the lever mechanism, frequently becomes chilled and thereby prevents a full opening of the nozzle and with a consequent failure of the nozzle to produce its proper extinguishing effects. It is also frequently the case that the lever mechanism of valves of the above character become set under the tension applied to them in use and which, especially in cases where considerable vibration of the building is present, tends to produce a leakiness in the valve which is objectionable and in many cases a source of considerable loss because of injury to valuable goods stored below the nozzle.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of sprinkler nozzle which shall overcome the above objections of those heretofore in use, by being so made as to be responsive the moment the fusible metal has been fused and so arranged as to operate under spring action to quickly separate the two parts of the retaining link and permit a free discharge of the water from the sprinkler with absolute reliability, the spring ac tion herein referred to further cooperating with the water for throwing the sealing de vices out of the path of the water as soon as the fusible metal is sufiiciently softened to permit the unsealing of the nozzle in the manner above stated.

My improvements consist of certain devices hereinafter fully described for carrying out the above objects, and these improvements will be better understood by reference to the drawings in which 1 Figure 1 is an elevation of a sprinkler nozzle embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of my improved sprinkler nozzle illustrating some modifications relatively to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the post and lever mechanism which may be employed; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the post; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the main lever blank before being bent up into shape.

A is the nozzle of the sprinkler and is provided at the top with the seat 0 and at the bottom with the screw threaded part B for attachment to the piping. This nozzle is provided with upwardly extending arms D which terminate in a hub E, arranged di rectly above the orifice of the nozzle A.

G is the valve and this fits over the nozzle valve seat C, and is preferably recessed to receive a disk of paper H to make a better sealing joint. The upper part of the valve G may be provided with an upwardly extending projection I centrally arranged.

More specifically referring to Figs. 1 and 2, J is a screw which works through a screw threaded aperture in the hub E, and the lower end of this screw is recessed to form a socket K. Formed integral or otherwise with the screw J is the distributer or spraying head L, which may be formed in the shape of a flanged disk provided with spirally arranged slots, the flange extending downward about the hub E, as shown, the

said distributer or spraying head receiving the water from the nozzle and causing it to be sprayed in all directions. The said distributer or spraying head L being integral with the screw J, acts as a means for adjusting the screw in the hub E to secure proper adjustment of the retaining mechanism for the valve G, to be now described. N is the main lever and is made of spring metal, such as sheet brass, and may be made from a blank of the shape shown in Fig. 7, the said blank consisting of the parts N and N in alinement, with an aperture N in the part N, and the said part N having its free end reduced to form a shouldered part N When the parts N and N are bent upon the dotted lines in Fig. 7 and otherwise properly shaped, they constitute the lever structure shown in Fig. 1, which provides a 2-ply part adjacent to the valve and a l-ply part N as the free end. This lever N is so adjusted that the upwardly projecting portion I of the valve G is received in the orifice formed by the hole N the said orifice being closed at the top by the part N The part N is furthermore provided on its upper surface with a V-shaped notch extending across its width and to one side of the center of the aperture N? so that said parts are somewhat out of alinement. O is a post and its lower end is made knife edged and received in the V-shaped groove N of the lever N, and its upper end is reduced in width to form the centering pin 0 which is received by the recess K in the adjusting screw J. The free end of the lever N formed by the part N is bent upward approximately on a line with the top of the sprinkler nozzle as a whole and is retained in sealed position by means of the fusible link P which comprises the two metal plates P and P lying face to face and secured together by a fusible solder P, the plate P having an orifice which fits over the end N of thelever N, and the plate P having an orifice which fits over a central upwardly extending pin M of the screw J and distributer head L, said retaining link P holding the mechanism formed by the lever N and post O in proper position to hold the valve G tightly upon its seat C. It will be further observed that this lever N is made with great elasticity, so that when sealing the sprinkler nozzle in condition for use, the free end of the said lever N may be forced in toward the pin M to of an inch before it is locked, and hence it will be understood that no matter how long the nozzle remains in sealed condition, the spring action of the lever N will be so great that when the fusible metal is fused the outward springing of the free end of the lever N will instantly separate the plate P from the plate P and this action will be so quick that there will be no possibility of'the fusible metal being chilled by the water before the parts are fully liberated.

The free spring action of the lever N prevents the valve retaining mechanism from becoming set under vibration or otherwise and which would cause a leaky condition of the valve, and consequently, sprinkler nozzles of the character herein described cannot become leaky, by merely remaining in sealed condition for along period from lack of necessity for use by fire; consequently the valves will be always in highly sensitive condition for immediate response in case of necessity and as the spring parts will not be over strained and set there will be large elimination of a possible damage to merchandise by leaky condition precedent upon a failure of the valve retaining'mechanism indefinitely holding the valve tightly upon its seat, or compensating for a reduction in the thickness of any packing .H which may be employed between the valve and the valve seat.

From the construction of the spring lever N shown, it will be observed that the lower part is very rigid where resistance is necessary, whereas the upper part is quite flexi-' ble; By the extension of the part N part way up upon the part N to some distance beyond the post O, it is evident that a leaf spring effect is produced, so that there is no danger of overstrain upon the spring part N near the points of greatest resistance.

l/Vhen the nozzle has been operated under the actionof heat to permit the flow of the water, the fusing of the fusible metal P permits a quick spring action of the free end of the lever N, which throws the plate P away from the plate P and out of the path of the flowing water so as not to interfere with its distribution, and at the same time the inertia given to the lever N by this releasing action causes it to rotate about the projection I of the valve as a center, with the result of throwing the plate 0 laterally out of the path of the water and of applying a pressureto the upper part of the valve in an opposite direction in the act of liberation which causes the water to throw the valve laterally from its seat and out of the direct path of the water in reaching the distributer. In this manner, the distributer acts in a most responsive way to provide the proper spray for the protection of the goods.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the general construction is the same, but in this case, instead of employing a blank bent upon itself to form the lever N, it is formed of two parts N and N riveted together by the downwardly projecting part I which seats in the recess F in the top of the valve G. The operation of this lever is the same as in the case of Fig. 1. In the modification, the distributer or spraying head L is provided with a series of up wardly projecting parts M adjacent to its perimeter over which the plate 1? may be hooked in place of said plate being over a central pin M, as in Fig. 1. In the modification, the tension of the lever N, because of the connection with the distributer head, will cause the said distributer'head to be locked in adjusted position.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5, the projection I of Fig. 1, or I of Fig. 8, is formed as a ball I said ball resting at the bottom in the socket F of the valve piece and having its top engaging the aperture N of the lever. In place of the ball any other shaped member may be introduced.

I have shown the invention in the form which embodies simplicity and cheapness of construction, and while the said details are preferred, I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the details, as these may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a sprinkler nozzle, the combination of the body having a valve seat, with a valve piece therefor, a two part mechanism interposed between the body and the valve piece to hold said valve piece upon the seat one member of said mechanism consisting of a freely acting spring lever and the other of an oblique strut, an adjustable abutment screw to adjust the position of the oblique strut a spraying or distributing member carried by the body in line with the valve seat and having a central pin at its top, and a fusible member for normally retaining the spring lever under heavy tension connected at one end to the spring lever and at the other to the pin of the distributing member, the parts being so constructed that upon the release of the spring lever by the fusible member it will forcibly act to fully disrupt the fusible member before being reached by the water.

2. In a sprinkler nozzle, the combination of the body having a valve seat, with a valve piece therefor, a mechanism interposed -between the body and the valve piece to hold said valve piece upon the seat one member of said mechanism consisting of a freely acting spring lever formed of spring sheet metal made double-ply for a portion only of its length and adjacent to the valve end and singleply at its free and longer end, and a fusible member for normally retaining the single ply end of the spring lever under heavy tension, the parts being so constructed that upon the release of the spring lever by the fusible member it will forcibly act to fully disrupt the fusible member. before being reached by the water.

3. In a sprinkler nozzle, the combination of the body having a valve seat, with a valve piece therefor, a mechanism interposed between the body and the valve piece to hold said valve piece upon the seat one member of said mechanism consisting of a freely acting spring lever formed of spring sheet metal made double-ply for a portion only of its length and adjacent to the valve end by being folded upon itself nearer one end than the other and single-ply at its free and longer end, and a fusible member for normally retaining the spring lever under heavy tension, the parts being so constructed that upon the release of the spring lever by the fusible member it will forcibly act to fully disrupt the fusible member before being reached by the water.

4:- In a sprinkler nozzle, the combination of the body having a nozzle, a valve therefor, an adjusting abutment screw, a twopart mechanism interposed between the abutment screw and the valve one of which parts consists of a long spring lever having its connection with the valve and other member of the mechanism out of alinement and made two-ply for part of its length at and adjacent to said connection and in one of which plies is formed a seat for the other member of the mechanism and in the other of which plies is provided a seat directed toward and acting upon the valve, and a link having a fusible element between its ends and having one end supported from the body and the other end engaging the free end of the spring lever and normally maintaining it under great tension.

5. In a sprinkler nozzle, the combination of the body having a nozzle, a valve therefor, an adjusting screw abutment on the body directed toward the nozzle, a two-part mechanism interposed between the abutment screw and the valve one of which parts consists of a long spring lever having its connection with the valve and other member of the mechanism out of alinement but close to one end and made of a strip of spring sheet metal folded upon itself to form a two-ply structure one ply having a transverse groove for the other member of the mechanism and the other ply having a recess directed toward the valve and out of alinement with the groove, and a link having a fusible element between its ends and having one end supported from the body and the other end engaging the free end of the spring lever and normally maintaining it under great tension.

6. In a sprinkler nozzle, a body part having a valve-seat, a valve therefor, an adjusting abutment screw having a distributer screw may be adjusted while the spring is 10 head integral with it so that they move as a held by the fusible member.

unit, amechanism between the abutment In testimony of which invention, I herescrew and valve and having a lever member unto set my hand.

formed with a long spring arm normally a under great tension, and a fusible member HUNTER connecting the free end of the spring arm Witnesses:

of the mechanism with the axis of the abut- R. M. KELLY, ment screw and distributer head so that the E. H. BARLOW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

